Primal Berry Wheatgrass Smoothie

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

As many of you already know, I am pro-smoothie when it comes to the food world. I find that smoothies can be as versatile as they are delicious. The combination of ingredients that can be used are endless, and I have played around with lots of different combos myself. Not long ago, I created the Primal Green Smoothie which got very good feedback. It certainly packs a nutritional wallop, combining spinach, kale, and fruit, along with whey protein and some other muscle building ingredients.

But variety is good, and I have created a new monster to add to your smoothie arsenal. This one includes wheatgrass, something I have known about for some time, but never really got on the band wagon… until about a week ago. A friend bought me a shot… not vodka, but wheatgrass. I told them they wasted their money and I could have just have easily gone and chewed someone’s lawn for about the same effect. Then 20 minutes or so passed, and I felt awesome! Corny as it sounds, I felt a heightened sense of well being, and a smooth but high energy level that carried on into my workout later that day. I ended up going to Whole Foods and bought a decent sized container of the fresh stuff! I thought they’d be charging $8-10 for the stuff, but to my pleasant surprise, it was just $3. Nice!

Effects and Benefits of this beast of a smoothie

Well I’m currently sipping on the smoothie I’m writing about… hey, I practice what I preach! And after an intense workout of 70 burpees, 60 ab mat sit-ups, 50 kettlebell swings, 40 pullups, and 30 handstand pushups (12 minutes flat was my time), I was feeling pretty beat. As I continue to drink, my senses are coming back to, which is more than likely a good thing. Ahhh….

A mood and energy booster for sure, 100% of the ingredients used are beneficial, and when blended together, are a delightful concoction of health. A brief of the ingredients:

Almonds: Rich in magnesium, vitamin E and healthy fats. Heart healthy and lowers LDL-cholesterol (the bad stuff)
Berries: Great source of carbs, while remaining low in sugar for fruit. Antioxidant and vitamin rich, high in fiber. Also, they taste retardedly good.
Grapefruit Juice: I’m not a huge proponent of juice, as I feel eating whole fruit also trumps its juicy counterpart. However, we need some liquid for this smoothie to operate and grapefruit adds a little tartness while also providing you with alkaline properties, lots of vitamin C, and disease preventing qualities as well.
Bananas: High in potassium and fructose. You gotta be careful with bananas because of the sugar content, but after a workout they’re great for replenishing your glycogen stores and spiking insulin for muscle building.
Kale: One of the healthiest things you can ingest. Kale has an ORAC score of 1770 which is a measure of antioxidants in a food. That’s a stellar number. Kale is said to be more nutritional than spinach, so F you Popeye!
Wheatgrass: Where to begin? One of the best sources of living chlorophyll. Great for repairing muscle tissue and regenerating the bloodstream. Yeah, that’s right. Great stuff. Detoxifies you inside, which improves outward appearance. Purifies the liver, boosts energy. This stuff is no joke.
Whey protein: We all know that protein is crucial for men, women, cats, dogs, dinosaurs, and… everyone else I missed. Builds muscle, keeps you satiated, tissue repair. All that good stuff.

Speaking of building muscle, I’m sure most of you know my friend Rusty Moore of Fitness Blackbook. Well this fitness expert and trusted friend has created a female-specific fitness program that is geared toward women who are looking for that slim and toned Hollywood look, without adding too much size, but building strength and tone in the right places. It’s called Visual Impact for Women and is well worth looking at. There are tons of generic workout ebooks out there, but this is personalized, and programmed for women aiming for that slim feminine physique! How cool is that?!

For the dudes out there, the original Visual Impact Course is a 3-course… meal? No, a 3-Phase workout program that will get you beach-worthy with dense muscle and detail so they can be shown off to all those chicks you’ve been trying to impress. A Greek God like body is possible if followed!